Human
by lillianerikson
Summary: Emma sees a different Regina during the incident with the mine. A worried mom, not an Evil Queen. This Regina, the mother, is warm, beautiful, and causes Emma all sorts of unsettling feelings. The rating will probably jump up to M later.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but I sure wish they were.

A/N: This is an A/U. All of the characters have full non-magical back stories. I am not sure if it going to stay as an AU though. For the time being, there is no magic or evil queen. I want to deal with their personalities and relationship before dragging the magic in. No sexy times yet, but there will be later. This is my first ever fanfic, and it has not been betaed. I welcome feedback. Please let me know if you'd like to be my beta reader.

This chapter has been modified to add more depth to Regina's character. Let me know if it works.

"I will bring him back to you." Emma whispered leaning forward to rest her forehead against Regina's. A quick kiss and she was gone.

Emma rubbed the sleep from her eyes and puzzled over the last few minutes of her dream. There was no kiss or whispered promises during the mine shaft incident. The only difference between that and any other Madame Mayor encounter was that she actually appeared human. For a few moments Regina Mills was a scared, desperate mother. Not the unfeeling, insecure, overbearing, smothering bitch the town of Storybrooke loved to hate. "Ehh..." Emma thought. Dreaming about a soft moment with Regina was probably just her subconscious saying that it was time to make peace.

With that thought Emma rolled over, grabbed her phone, and dialed. Regina answered on the second ring.

"To what do I owe this honour, Ms. Swan? Car booted again?"

"Regina," Emma answered in carefully measured tones "I'm calling to check on you and Henry. We could have lost him, and Archie, in that mine."

"We are fine," snapped the Mayor, "Is that all? I have a traumatised child to deal with."

"Regina wait," Emma interjected, "I am also calling to ask if you would join Henry and me on our little Friday field trip to Canobie Lake?"

"Excuse me?" the mayor sputtered "Why would I want to do that? Isn't it bad enough that I know you have stolen my child's affections? Why would I want to spend a Friday watching it live?"

"I have not stolen your child's affections" Emma responded. "In fact our experience at the mine got me to thinking. We should spend a little more time seeing him as OUR son, and a little less time fighting over him. He is not a cookie. We can share."

Emma bulldozed right over some more of Regina's outraged sputtering "Look, it felt good standing there with you checking him over. He was happy, and I was happy to have him see us interact without the hostility. Like it or not, I'm in his life. The way I see it you have a choice — get to know me a little better so we can actually act civilised in front of OUR son or prepare for continued all out hostilities, because I am not going anywhere."

"Fine!" Regina snapped after a long silence. "Henry and I will meet you at Granny's at 8:30 on Friday morning. We will have a decent breakfast, because it is bad enough that lunch and dinner will be amusement park junk food. We will take my car, because I'm not driving on the interstate in your yellow death trap and we will back in time for Henry to be in bed by ten pm."

"Fine" Emma gritted out ending the call. "That woman," she thought. "Always, always, ALWAYS has to be in control. I bet she has always has to be on top too. Aww... Man..." Emma mentally slapped her forehead. "Why did my mind go there? Eww!"

A few days later and, ten minutes early, Sheriff Emma Swan strolled into Granny's and grabbed a booth. She could not help but smile a bit. The Mayor was going to be deprived of a chance to make some smart-ass comment about her tardiness.

"Hell hath frozen over indeed, " An incredulous voice cut across the diner. "Emma Swan is actually on time. Granny, you must be cooking up something good today."

Granny shook her head and chuckled thinking that it had been several years, nine or ten maybe, since she had seen the sassy, sarcastic side of Regina Mills. She let her mind travel to memories of a bright-eyed teenager with a good heart, a razor sharp wit and a mind like a steel trap.

She remembered that girl doing homework in the diner's corner booth while waiting for her father to get done at City Hall. Regina was so different then. It did not matter that her mother was more interested in being the "mayor's wife" than in being a mother. Neither was it important that her father, though he meant well, was almost always too busy. Regina had a whole town of parents and siblings, but then IT happened and she was shipped off to a boarding school in Boston. The Regina who came back 11 years later was not the same.

That Regina was a raging bitch, and it was that person who caused Emma's head to shoot up, a smart retort on her lips. But, again, there it was, the human. Regina standing in the diner's doorway, arm around Henry, a twinkle in her eye and looking absolutely edible in a silky, almost sheer white button down, skin tight jeans and knee high fuck-me boots.

"You're missing the leather jacket, Mayor Mills " Emma laughed as she beckoned them over.

"What makes you think there isn't one in the car, Ms. Swan? After all, We must do this best buds thing right and dress exactly alike." With that Regina pushed a grinning Henry into the booth and slid in behind him, affording, the slightly off kilter, Emma a generous view of her cleavage.

"I may regret this, but where is the real mayor, what did you do with her, and when is she coming back? " Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There is your problem, Ms. Swan. I am not the Mayor right now. I am a mom taking her kid to the fair. " Regina ruffled Henry's hair smiling down at him.

"I am happy when my son is happy, and I have not seen him happy in a long while. Well... At least not while I was with him..." Regina trailed off, her last words almost inaudible. "Anyway," She piped up with a genuine smile, "Henry is my heart, and I will enjoy his happiness as long as I can."

Emma looked over at the beautiful, warm woman across from her and wondered she had been hiding all this time. She also wondered when adjectives like edible, beautiful and warm joined irritating, insufferable and pain-in-the-ass as part of her list of Regina words. "If nothing else," she thought, "It was shaping up to be an interesting day."

"Come on, guys, stop flirting and order." Henry said bouncing up and down in his seat. "I want to go to the fair."

"Henry!" They both said at once.

"We are not flirting." Regina continued. "We are merely trying to get along."

"Okay... Okay... You are not flirting. Can we order now please?"

Emma winked at him and beckoned Ruby over. She had a feeling that it was going to be a good day.

A few hours later they were in Regina's car barreling down I-93 S. She turned out to be a skilled, careful driver, handling the powerful vehicle with ease and obvious pleasure. Emma discovered that Regina loved to drive, only drove performance vehicles, only drove stick, and referred to her car as a 'marvel of German engineering'. She also did not like to talk while driving, but was generous with the sound system.

Emma let Henry DJ, using the opportunity to observe the mayor up close. The past few days had been a revelation. The bitch had a human side, and Henry brought it out.

"Ms. Swan, I can feel you thinking at me. It is distracting. What's on your mind?" Regina asked, her voice a mix between amused and exasperated.

"First," said Emma. "We are taking our kid to an amusement park. I think we can be on first name terms for today, Regina. Second, I can't figure you out. You are so nice right now, but every other time we have interacted you've been cold, mean, indifferent or all of the above. What gives?"

"Ms. Swan... Emma" Regina corrected herself quickly. "I see, no beating around the bush for you? I am mayor of a very small town. Everyone knows everything about everyone else, or at least thinks they do. Further, they all have strong opinions on the way things should be. Also..." she paused, obviously searching for the correct words.

"You are new enough to have not experienced the contempt that comes familiarity. Can you imagine how tough it can be run a town council meeting when at least two of the members remember catching the high school version of you under the bleachers in a compromising situation? I am young, female, not too hard on the eyes, unmarried and a... well... that's a conversation for another day." Regina trailed off uncomfortably

"Nevertheless, I do not see how I could run this town without an iron fist." She said finding her voice again. "Kudos to you if you have found a way to be nice and an effective Sheriff at the same time. I have learned, the hard way, that I can be nice or I can be mayor."

Emma was about to pursue Regina on the part she left out earlier, but her final words struck a chord. It was becoming harder to do her job as sheriff, and not offend any of her friends. Not that she was about to admit that to Regina. As far as she was concerned, her task was to find the happy medium between awful harpy and pushover.

"Regina," Emma started in a low voice. "I probably should leave this alone, but that does not explain the difference between the way you are treating me today and the way you have treated me before."

Regina paused for a while, mouth opening and closing while she searched for the words. "My son ran away to find you. He left me, and only came back because you brought him back. " Those words just hung in the air, jarring in their stark reality.

Then Regina spoke again, slowly and with great care, almost as if she were talking to herself, "But you know... The other day at the mine... You were right... I was not physically able to bring him out of that mine. You got him, and you brought him back to me. I am grateful. I still resent the hell out of you, but I am grateful."

The car fell silent, as silent as it could with Henry as resident DJ, as both women sat with their thoughts. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but I sure wish they were.

A/N: Reread Chp1 for changes.

"Okay, " said Regina. "You and Henry go get in the line and get the tickets. I will park and meet you at the front gate."

"Mom" Henry started with a slight whine "I thought you said we were going to stay together tonight. You doing one thing while we do the other is not staying together."

"Henry, we are staying together. It is simply more efficient for you and Ms. Swan... Emma excuse me... To get in line for the tickets while I find some where to park. Why should all three of us have to wonder around this apology for a parking lot?"

Emma sensed Henry settling in for an argument. The stubbornness inherited from his birth mother, plus the negotiating ability and eye for detail from his adoptive mother made Henry one formidable child. She could already see his teenage years being a doozy.

"Regina," Emma said gently "He is right. We did promise that we would all stay together tonight. The extra ten minutes we spend parking is not going to make that big of a difference." Regina's jaw tensed and released repeatedly. Emma groaned inwardly, "the night was about to go down hill... fast."

"No wonder Henry and Regina are having problems," she thought. "They have the perfect recipe for disaster here. Henry is stubborn and, to be honest, a little spoiled. Regina is a control freak and they have no one to act as a buffer." Emma sighed to herself and decided to fix the problem in the one way she knew would let Henry have his way, and Regina save face.

"Come on, Mom" she whined in her best annoying teenager voice. "You promised. Please let us stay with you."

"Yeah, Mom. Please." Henry chimed in mimicking Emma's expression and high-pitched whine.

"Okay... Fine... We can stay together." Regina said releasing the tension in her jaw, a small smile playing over her lips. "Don't blame me if someone twists an ankle out here."

Emma grinned "Madame Mayor, I have the distinct feeling that you are less concerned with someone twisting an ankle, than with the prospect of us seeing you drive around in circles looking for the least churned spot to park your marvel of German engineering."

"Are you making fun of me, Ms. Swan?" Regina purred, a full blown smile now in evidence.

"Who me? Make fun of you? No. Perish the thought." Emma tried to keep a straight face as Henry completely lost it in the back seat.

"Emma you are so right," he squealed, gasping for breath. "There was this one time, last year, when Mom drove around for thirty minutes looking for a clean spot. It was hilarious."

"Henry, hush. I just wanted to make sure that you did not get your new sneakers muddy. There is nothing wrong with that." With that Regina sniffed and pulled into the first available spot.

Regina reached over Emma to get something from the glove compartment and whispered in her ear. Her voice a full octave lower, "Revenge, Ms. Swan, is a dish best served cold. We'll see who laughs last tonight."

Emma dismissed the shiver running through her body as a natural reaction to a warm breath on her ear.

"Regina can rock a pair of skinny jeans and fuck-me boots," Emma mused as she stood in the line behind Henry and the subject of her gaze. "Good God, if she wore this stuff around town more she would have no problem getting the men, and more than a few of the women, to do whatever she wanted. I mean look at those jeans, could they be anymore snug on her ass? And what an ass it is - What an ass indeed."

Henry startled her out of her thoughts by tugging her through the turnstile while talking a mile a minute. "It is time to go in Emma. We are going to have so much fun. You like roller coasters right? Mom and I love roller coasters. You will come ride them with us right?"

"Yes, kid, I will." Emma grinned catching the eye of an equally excited Regina.

"Before you ask, Emma. Yes, I love roller coasters. I am a single mom to an active little boy. I love comic books, video games, roller coasters, laser tag and wrestling. If Henry likes it, I do too."

"Do you like Twister?" Emma asked suddenly

"Twister is one of my favourites," Regina answered with a smirk. "What, do you want to play it sometime? Henry and I own the game."

"Great, that was one of my favourite games as a kid. I'd love to play a round or two with you and Henry." Emma's voice faded away as something about Regina's smirk made her just a little uneasy. It crossed her mind, for just a moment, that Regina might have been discussing a slightly more adult version of twister.

"Nah, it can't be" she whispered to herself. "This is Regina we are talking about. She doesn't have a flirty bone in her body."

Speaking of bodies, Emma turned her head and hissed at a man standing near them, "Take a picture. It will last longer." She had about enough of his leering at Regina. A woman should be able to wear attractive clothing without being eye-fucked by a bunch of creeps.

"Sheriff Swan," Regina looked back the same smirk in place, "I see your protective instincts remain even when you're off duty. I ought to bring you out with me more often. I feel very safe."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but I sure wish they were.

A/N: Chapters 1 and 2 have been altered somewhat. The changes are not big, but are enough that you might want to go back and at least skim. For those eager to move on, you need to know that Regina has more of a back story now - indifferent mother, busy father and an "IT" which caused a bright-eyed teenage Regina to leave Storybrooke and return 11 years later as a raging bitch. Also they are not going to a generic fair. Our intrepid trio are going to spend the day at the Canobie Lake Amusement Park in New Hampshire. It is where New Englanders go when they do not want to go to Six Flags. Google it - nice place... lots of roller coasters and spots ripe for adult romantic moments. I know I've been there. :D

P.S Tell me if it is too soon. You'll know what I mean.  
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"I feel like I'm trapped in a fucking episode of the fucking Twilight Zone." Emma grumbled under her breath. The outing had started off well enough. Regina, as to be expected, had a detailed plan on how, where and when they were going to do the more popular rides. Apparently, she and Henry did a Canobie Lake trip at least once a year and they had figured out the best way to do everything.

Other than obsessive dedication to the plan they BOTH displayed, Henry and Regina were a pleasure to hang with. They took lots of breaks, scheduled of course. They did not mind sitting in the front of the water ride and getting splashed. Actually, they made sure they were at the very front. Of course, Regina had spare shirts in her mom bag. Heaven forfend any detail be left unplanned. They even had one for Emma; a blue silk that fit like a dream. They were just a fun pair to be around.

Emma's problem was not the planning, or the absolutely wonderful time she was having with her son and his other mother. It was not even that the sight of Regina in a wet, white button-down sent a stab of arousal through her so sharp, she seriously considered finding an excuse to spend five uninterrupted minutes in a dark place.

No... the problem was none of the above. The problem, now causing thoughts of twilight zone episodes, was that Henry had gone off with one of his best friends, whose family just happened to be in the park, leaving her and Regina alone on a romantic gondola ride around the lake.

It started off innocently. Regina jumped at the chance to do something Henry would have found boring. As with all things Regina, Emma quickly, without quite knowing what was happening, found herself on a pile cushions in the back of a gondola with a half finished bottle of wine and a tipsy Regina Mills all but sitting on her lap. It would have been easier if the throb in her core was a little less insistent, the woman next to her a little less sexy, and the setting a little less perfect.

"Emma," Regina said startling her confused companion. "I apologise if my flirting is making you uncomfortable."

"Uhh... " Emma stammered, " You're flirting on purpose?"

Regina smiled coyly " Yes. Initially, my plan was to see if I could rattle you a bit. You've become far too good at ignoring me recently. "

Emma sat straight up, ready to dump Regina into the drink. " You were trying to do what?!"

"Hey, calm down... " said Regina, her self preservation instinct kicking in. "That was for about an hour in the diner. Then I started flirting because I'm just feeling so fucking sexy today. "

Emma watched the sensual expression on Regina's face with interest as she continued.

"Seriously, Emma, haven't you ever had a day where you just felt sexy?" Regina asked stretching out in the gondola like a cat in the sun.

"God, I've been so stressed recently. Henry has been difficult. The town is having budget issues, and you... well... you scared me. Today has been different though. "

" Really, how has today been different?" Emma leaned forward to look into Regina's eyes.

" Look around, do you see anyone from Storybrooke here? The only person making demands on me today is my son."

" What about me, Regina," came a whisper, the throb in Emma's jeans becoming a burn. " I'm here too."

" Oh... You're just so safe." Regina responded smiling into Emma's welcoming eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you are a good second parent to Henry. I'm betting you'll even be a good friend."

Emma closed her eyes for a minute, giving her confused feelings a few swift kicks. She then leaned back into the cushions determined to let her arousal be calmed by the cool lake breeze.

"Emma?"

"Yes, Regina."

"It is such a pity."

"What is such a pity, Regina?"

Regina leaned over, careful that the gondolier would not hear her next words. "It is a pity that you're straight. I really need to be fucked."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but I sure wish they were.

A/N: Short update this time. I'm not happy with it. Please let me know what you think. Sexy times ahead. I have never done this before, so here goes...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

"Emma?"

"Yes, Regina."

"It is such a pity."

"What is such a pity, Regina?"

Regina leaned over, careful that the gondolier would not hear her next words. "It is a pity that you are straight. I really need to be fucked."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

Emma's eyes slammed shut as the waves of desire coursing through and around her hips focused to a demanding point. She took a deep breath and an image formed on the back of her eyes. Regina beneath her, head thrown back, throat working as she took Emma questing fingers in. Eyes hooded, hands tangled in her lover's hair. Hips moving with the relentless pulse of her lover's hand. Becoming utterly undone to Emma's low, steady chant, "Mine, mine, mine. "

Another breath and she saw Regina above her, rocking slowly, taking Emma's cock (fake but definitely hers) deep inside. Leaning forward, their breasts touching, giving and receiving deep questing kisses. Resting her head on Emma's chest, surrendering to the push, pulse, and thrust of her lover's body. Again, "Mine, mine, mine."

Another, Regina against a wall, skirt bunched, blouse hanging half open. One liberated nipple caught between Emma's teeth and tongue. Feeling her lover's fingers curling, caressing, thrusting frantically, as she holds on and whispers, "Yours, yours, always yours."

Shaking herself into awareness, Emma put a finger under Regina's chin. Tilted it up, so that their eyes met and said with a slow smile, "I am a lot of things but straight is not one of them."

"Before you ask, " She placed a finger on Regina's lips, shushing the inevitable question. "What about Graham? I could ask you the same thing. Let's just agree to remember him fondly as a friend who was always willing to give what was needed."

Regina leaned forward and captured Emma's lips in a kiss. It warm, wet and needful. Emma felt herself relaxing into the raw pleasure of the kiss. This was what she wanted to do that day at the mine. Kiss Regina senseless, claim her, keep her, and promise that their son would be safe.

"Regina," she breathed between kisses. "We have to stop. We can't do this. Not here... Not like this... I want you, but not like this."

Regina, pulled back, saw the conflict in Emma's eyes, caressed her cheek and smiled an understanding smile. "Are you worried that I'm using you?"

Emma nodded miserably. "It was only a few hours ago that said you still resent me, and just a few days ago that you could not even stand to look at me. I want you Regina, but the flip-flopping is confusing me. Which is it? Do you want me or don't you? Do you want a family, Reg? I want us to be a family. You, Henry, me a family... I want the great sex too. " She grinned, "but I also want to keep you and Henry safe. "

"Emma Swan," Regina said with a chuckle, "that makes two of us who are confused. Half the time I do not know if I want to kiss or kick you, but I do know that I want to find out what could happen between us. "

Regina groaned and placed her forehead on Emma's. '' I would give the world for those long, lovely fingers to be inside me tonight, but... Yeah... Let's take it slow."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

This update has been a long time in coming. I started off wanting to write a fluffy bit of nothing much, but found myself spending a lot of time thinking about the real life circumstances that would create a Regina Mills. We have ample non-magical details on how Emma became Emma, but beyond Cora being a narcissistic bitch what do we know about how someone like Regina would end up being the unhappy mayor of an even less happy town? My own story has been intimidating the hell out of me. The framework of the story has been written. I know the basics of where I want it to go, and how I want the story to unfold. Here, my friends, I am going to ask for your patience with short chapters. The only way to prevent further intimidation is to take it in small manageable chunks. Again this is unbetaed.

Also: A reviewer mentioned (correctly) that Emma should be Deputy Sheriff Swan. However, I like the sound of Sheriff Swan better. We are going to pretend that Graham left the picture before the "That Still Small Voice" episode.

-SWANQUEEN-

If nothing else, Emma had learned that life rarely went to plan. Situations were hardly ever black or white, and people were never what they seemed on the surface. However, this day out with her son's adoptive mother was testing every ounce of "just roll with it" she possessed. The focus of her bemusement at this particular moment, however, was their never-ending, alcohol-soaked gondola ride. Emma was certain that ride was supposed to be an hour. Yet, she and Regina had been riding around for at least twice that.

"Regina, I may regret this" Emma said for what felt like the twentieth time that day, "but, shouldn't we have gotten off this ride an hour ago, and how come we have wine? Not that I'm complaining, but I did not know that amusement parks served alcohol."

Regina heaved a long-suffering sigh and looked up at the confused sheriff. "The wine is from the Italian restaurant. It has a liquor licence and the Gondolier, being an independent contractor, negotiated an agreement with the park, such that serving of alcohol is permitted the rides that include a dinner or lunch package."

"Woah," Emma said incredulously "How do you know that, and that still doesn't explain why we have been on this thing forever? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I could stay out here all forever but I feel like we are taking advantage of him."

"Emma," Regina said flatly, "I know so much about the contract because I negotiated it, and Marco is fine with us riding around because I own 51.6% of this gondola."

Emma's eyes bugged out "What?"

"Marco used to work in the restaurant. He had a great idea but no capital, and too much pride to take my money. So I bought the gondola, negotiated his contract and hired him as my employee. The understanding is that his profits, beyond what he needs to live on, go towards buying me out. He has done very well so far. I expect to be bought out completely in two or three years."

Regina watched with a hidden grin as Emma pursed her lips, squared her shoulders and jabbed a thumb towards the front of the Gondola "So exactly how long have you and this Marco been business partners?"

"Marco, who married his husband a few months ago, has been a business partner for four years."

Emma had the good graces to blush at the soft chuckle coming from the man at the front of the boat. "Did you have to say that so loudly?!" She hissed at Regina. "Now he thinks I'm some sort of jealous fool."

"If the cap fits, Ms. Swan" Regina drawled lying back on the cushions. "If the cap fits."

-SWANQUEEN-


End file.
